With Senate vote, JaxPort deepening gains Congressional approval

In a significant and expected move Thursday for a high-profile local effort, the U.S. Senate approved a national waterways and ports infrastructure bill that authorizes a project to deepen JaxPort’s shipping channel.

The bill, which the House approved earlier this week, does not pay for the nearly $700 million deepening project. But it includes an important authorization that will allow supporters of the dredging effort to now focus on finding ways to pay for it.

“What a huge win for our region and our state,” JaxPort CEO Brian Taylor said in a statement. “And here’s what made this reality: Our strong and effective federal, state and city leadership working together with the business community and the ports. It is this collaboration and commitment that has delivered so much for Northeast Florida.”

The bill now awaits President Barack Obama’s signature.

Jacksonville and Florida officials will have to heavily lobby Congressional leaders and the White House to include the JaxPort project in future budgets and must also find a way to pay for the substantial local contribution to the project. Sixty-five percent of the dredging money will come from the federal government, and 35 percent will come from local sources.

JaxPort, like other ports along the East Coast, is fighting to dredge its harbor in response to a deepened Panama Canal that will open next year and will be able to accommodate larger mega-ships. The port wants to dredge the 40-foot St. Johns River to a 47-foot depth, which it says will help Jacksonville remain a competitive shipping destination as those larger ships hit the water.

In a visit last year to Jacksonville’s port, Obama said bringing larger ships “means more jobs at the terminals. That means more warehouses in the surrounding areas. That means more contractors are getting those jobs setting up those warehouses. That means they’ve got more money to spend at the restaurant.”

Despite near unanimous backing among Jacksonville’s elected and business leadership, not everyone is on board with JaxPort’s dredging initiative.

Environmental advocates say deepening could damage the St. Johns River — potentially increasing salinity levels to a point that threatens important wetlands and sea grasses.

Critics have also questioned whether the economic benefits supporters of the effort have touted are being exaggerated.

The Water Resources Reform and Development Act also authorizes a project fixing Mile Point, a place in the St. Johns River where powerful cross-currents restrict passage of large cargo ships. The state has already dedicated $36 million to pay for that project.